The front cover has a terrific image of ocean surface topography derived from satellite altimeter data. You can find this image and many others at http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov. Besides being of interest in its own right, it reminds me how OES is an international society, spanning many countries and cultures. This is quite evident when you look at the list of new members; I count 24 different countries that are represented in the new membership and the diversity is increasing. Further evidence of this is provided in this issue in the reports from different chapters around the globe. OES is an active society, facilitating vigorous dialogue in many branches of science and engineering relevant to all bodies of water. There are several conferences advertised in this issue that are soliciting papers; an opportunity to share and learn from one another.
     In this issue we feature a website that is rich in educational content concerning acoustics. We also feature a website from IEEE that will benefit us all. I’d like to invite more submissions like this. The internet is such a fundamental part of how we work these days and knowledge of particularly useful sites is of great value. Perhaps you know of a site that has great utility to you and could share that with the rest of us.
     I hope to see many of you at the next OCEANS conference in Sydney, Australia in May; another opportunity to hear the latest developments and network with a great group of professionals.
     Please send me your ideas, comments, or suggestions; I’m always looking for new material to publish. E-mail me at j.gant@ieee.org.